


Eros and Philia

by motherduck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Donghyuck's lists on what he loves about Taeil, M/M, Philia is a fancy word for friend zone, School Trip, are longer than all the Latin and Greek texts I've, ever translated combined, we support mythology nerds, written during our corona home schooling out of desperate boredom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:25:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23120128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/motherduck/pseuds/motherduck
Summary: "If I'm the sun, like you said, and you're the moon-""Wait, why am I the moon?""Moon Taeil, you idiot. What is the moon without the sun? Without its light?""... a big stone floating in the dark, I guess?""Exactly. That's why you need me in your life, boss."
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Moon Taeil
Comments: 4
Kudos: 50





	1. I.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome on board of This Hyuckil Stan Is Bored Because Of Corona Caused Home Schooling.  
> Please fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the first flight of your pilot Motherduck.  
> Feel free to exchange the d with an f during turbulences.  
> We encourage you to leave constructive criticism and kudos because they are the fuel of this plane.

There were two kinds of students on this school trip.

The first kind didn't care about the purpose of this excursion at all, to them it simply meant a holiday in Italy and Greece with their classmates that was worth joining a history club for.

The other kind, the minority, were the ones that were passionate about mythology.  
To them the club meetings meant an hour that they looked forward to the whole week.  
Looking forward to every captivating story that their teacher had in store for them.  
They were stoked to get to witness the places where their favorite myths and legends were set, to stand on the stages of the gods.

On this plane to Rome there were two celestial bodies that were supposed to be thousands of kilometers up further up in space than the plane already was.

The Sun and the Moon.

Donghyuck was drooling on Taeil’s shoulder. He felt the hand on his thigh and smiled.  
The kid had finally fallen asleep after about two hours of constant talking, updating Taeil on his life and _everything_ he’d done during his summer holidays.  
As a student in his final year, Taeil’s own hadn’t been interesting at all.  
Studying for eight hours every day hadn’t left much time for any adventures but it had payed off and was the condition under which his parents had allowed him to go on this school trip. Those two upcoming weeks were his true summer break and _damn was he looking forward to them._

Their nearing stopover in Istanbul was announced and warmth flooded his chest at the sudden realization - _this is actually happening_.  
He did his best to keep his thigh under Donghyuck’s hand from bouncing from his sudden burst of excitement to not wake him up.  
Taeil had looked forward to this school trip for months and was so happy to spend time with his favorite dongsaeng _.  
_ All the food, all the new places, the beautiful nature and Mrs. Seo’s gift of retelling old myths and philosophical views in the most interesting way - joining the Extracurricular Ancient History Club with Donghyuck had been an awesome idea.

Taeil kept Donghyuck’s head in place on his shoulder during the turbulences and prepared for the next flood of his words when the boy would wake up.  
Five years ago when they first met in choir, Taeil would have never guessed that one day he’d be so fond of the boy.  
He squinted his eyes at the sparkling waves underneath them and absentmindedly weaved his fingers through his dongsaeng’s fingers that were still firmly planted on his thigh.  
Every time the two of them were together it was truly only ever silent when the younger one was asleep.  
His recently dyed brown hair that was currently tickling Taeil’s neck fit his tan skin so well. He could extract from the whispers from the girls sitting in front of them that Taeil wasn’t the only one who thought that Donghyuck had gotten even more attractive over the summer.  
Even though he still couldn't quite realize that the snotty-nosed, cheeky twelve year old had grown up into a handsome and striking young man over the course of middle and high school, he was so proud of how Donghyuck had turned out.

Only a few months and he would have to leave his side.

Donghyuck unconsciously saved him from getting too sad again by waking up.  
After he yawned and stretched like a cat, Taeil wiped drool off his cheek with his own sleeve and fixed the bird nest on top of the younger’s head.  
He sat still for a short moment, slowly regaining his spirit, until his eyebrows shot up and he gasped.  
„Boss, I need to show you this song!“  
Those fifteen hours on their way to Rome would surely fly by in no time.

Mark, Jongho, Donghyuck and Taeil were on a hunt for lunch in the airport of Istanbul and Taeil felt like a mother duck with her excited ducklings trailing behind.  
Their attention and eyes were everywhere. Out of fear of losing them he grabbed Donghyuck’s hand. It was the only thing he could do since he wasn’t close enough to Jongho and Mark to hold theirs as well (and only had two hands) but at least his Donghyuck wasn’t going anywhere without him.

„Whoa, _hyung!_ Your hand is nice, can I keep it?“

Mark made a retching noise while Taeil threw his head back in fond laughter.

Nothing compared to Donghyuck's way of flirting.

„Sure, Hyuckie, you can.“ He smiled at the other with rosy cheeks, who swung their interlaced fingers back and forth between them with a content grin.

„What room are we, boss?“ While Donghyuck was wiggling around him like an excited puppy, Taeil wanted to die. Or at least shower and then sleep until a decent time in whatever this timezone was.

How could Donghyuck still be so cheerful after that long, exhausting and _gross_ subway ride?  
He ruffled through the younger’s sweaty hair and pulled his tired face into a smile.  
„Wait a moment.“

The receptionist frowned at her computer.

 _„Mr. and Mrs. Seo and your young boy… I’m afraid we don’t have a family suit reserved for you.“  
_ Mrs. Seo was smiling politely as she hadn’t understood anything besides her name while Mr. Seo furiously blushed and denied quickly.  
 _„That’s not - … We’re not a family. Don’t worry, we’ll take separate rooms, just like originally arranged.“_ Their gym teacher took a deep breath.

„Even here in Italy everyone thinks that they’re married“, Mark murmured with a grin, the only one who'd understood the hushed English.

Mr. and Mrs. Seo were awesome.  
Mrs. Seo was a fierce lady and a notorious beauty that looked twenty years younger than her actual age.  
Seo Soojin, most of the students’ parents still remembered the former model and actress from her prime. With her small doll face, plump lips, graceful body and the fire in her eyes she could have brought entire armies down to their knees.  
Fifteen years ago she had suddenly quit her career for the boy now standing between her and Mr. Seo and for absolutely incomprehensible reasons to the public had decided to become a history and art teacher.  
What an unsexy job for a lady that belonged on a screen, in the magazines, on a _throne._

„You would be an awesome dad though, Mr. Seo", Jisung smiled innocently and instantly caught a smack to his head from his mother.

Mr. Seo’s English was the only reason he was with them, to guide the group’s way through the foreign countries with his striking smile and protective instinct. The young sports and English teacher from America was also definitely not (painfully obvious) crushing on his older collegue.

The velvet floor swallowed the noise of their suitcases on the way to their room.  
Paintings and tasteful furniture in the hallways alone promised a nice room.  
Taeil absentmindedly stared at Donghyuck’s excitedly bouncing form from behind him and was once again grateful for his younger friend.  
He was so glad that Donghyuck had agreed to share a room with him, even when he could easily room with his two other best friends.  
Otherwise Taeil would have had to stay with Jaehyun and Doyoung.  
Even if they were friends, without Taeyong, the center of their friend group that glued them together back at home, the three of them were kind of awkward.

„Hyung, that’s it, right? Number 119? Hurry and unlock the door!“  
Taeil tried to match his dongsaeng’s enthusiasm one last time for the day (on the other side of this door was a bed waiting for him to fall into it anyway) and mirrored his grin.  
He turned the key as dramatically as possible, swung the door open, bowed like a servant and gestured into the room with his arm.

„Welcome to our home for the next three days, baby.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe thank you for reading the first chapter :)  
> May this story entertain you if you're bored like me and can't go outside bc your government has shut down the whole country due to corona.
> 
> Please point out any grammatical errors, I appreciate it a lot.
> 
> Also I couldn't resist adding ATEEZ's Jongho to this because I think that him and Hyuck would get along really well irl (and because I will never shut up about my favorite apple serial killer)
> 
> Oh, and I added (G)-IDLE's Soojin because every country, and the country where this story is set is called Friendzonia, needs a queen.


	2. II.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet To Me by Summer Salt
> 
> ...
> 
> Stepping out on the moon  
> Back home where we’re from  
> Digging your company  
> These days have just begun

_Last week of school before the summer holidays_

“My bros, dudes, lads, friends - let’s _pretty please_ not share a room on the school trip.“

Jongho slammed down his protein shake on the lunch tray.  
“Explain, traitor.“

„I know it sounds dumb but…“ Donghyuck nervously shrunk into his seat with a tiny smile between his blushing cheeks.  
“Taeil’s coming along - and he’ll graduate soon and then he’ll be off to university and I think this could be my last chance to, y’know…“

Now it was Mark’s turn to put down his apple juice. His usual easy smile had dropped, just like every time Taeil was mentioned.   
Donghyuck guessed that his friend still found it hard to accept his sexuality, even if he’d come out to them quite some time ago.  
Maybe Canadians had something against homosexuality. But then again, so did Koreans and _oh my god, how dad would freak-_

 _“_ To what? Make him fall in love with you?“ he murmured with furrowed brows.

Donghyuck slid down his seat even further, his pride already under the table.  
“ _Nooo“,_ he whined, "What if I just want to spend some more time with him before -“   
A piece of Jongho’s lean turkey hit his face.

"Good luck with seducing that grandpa. If that’s what it takes for our love-sick idiot to stop bothering us about his unrealistic crush we’ll allow it, won’t we, Mark?“  
Jongho elbowed his neighbor, who just nodded at the rice bowl on his tray, not raising his eyes.

"Don't hurt yourself."

* * *

The shower (that Taeil had forced him to take before touching anything in the clean hotel room) felt like the prologue of a story.

Once upon a time in Friendzonia there was a young lad, a noble knight called Donghyuck. He was utterly in love with his Prince, Choir Head Boy Moon Taeil, and served him with all his heart.No dragon was too big, no mountain too high, no treasure buried deep enough for the knight; he obeyed his Prince’s orders without ever hesitating.   
Everywhere he went he sung of his love for Choir Head Boy Moon Taeil and gathered the most precious presents to win the Prince’s heart. And because fairytales all have a happy ending, if the knight only tries hard enough, one day the Prince accepted his confession.  
They didn’t marry (because Korea was still behind on that) but they lived happily ever after.

A sudden bang against the door startled Donghyuck out of his thoughts.

“Hurry up, Hyuckie! I’m tired as heck!“

He stepped out of the shower with a smile. Knight Donghyuck was ready for his mission.

Birds were chirping softly and the sun was tickling Donghyuck’s cheeks with warm fingertips.

He felt movement next to him and suddenly the singing stopped - Taeil must have turned off his alarm.   
Donghyuck squinted at the bright light and realized only then how neat and beautifully furnished their hotel room was, they hadn't had the energy to even notice their room the night before.  
Still, Taeil next to him, with his face wrinkly from sleep and his hair in a nest on his pillow, was more beautiful.

He slotted himself into Taeil’s side, placed an ear over his heart and whispered, “We’re in Rome, hyung. Can you believe it?"  
A low grumble vibrated in Taeil’s chest.   
“Get off, Hyuckie. I’m really hot and sweaty.“ The older placed a hand in his hair but made no actual effort to push him off.

The sultry heat in the hotel room began lulling them back to sleep - they had fallen into bed the night before, having neither closed the curtains nor turned on the air-con out of exhaustion.

This heartbeat was Donghyuck’s favorite sound in the world.

Taeil, so close and always giving him everything he had.

Selfishness settled in his stomach once again, familiar like an old friend.  
_Almost everything._

Taeil always had open ears for Donghyuck’s wishes, open eyes to lead their way through life and open arms to ground him and protect him from the world.

_Donghyuck wanted even more._

The birds started chirping again and Taeil shifted underneath him to turn off the alarm once more.

Donghyuck was so sick of Taeil seeing him as his younger brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to leave constructive criticism or point out any grammatical errors <3


	3. III.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NCT 127 - Elevator
> 
> Let's just keep this simple  
> Close the space between us  
> It's filled with breathtaking air

Italy’s climate would take some getting used to. It wasn’t much hotter than Korea but so _dry.   
_Taeil never thought he would once appreciate the humidity that the annual monsoon back home brought.  
Their matching bucket hats were the only layer protecting their brains from getting fried under the relentless sun. They looked like fishermen, lost in a city, and Donghyuck found it _super cool._

Mrs Seo’s umbrella that protected her graciously pale skin from the sun matched her handbag and shoes and stood out from the crowd so that her ducklings wouldn’t lose sight of her, which was important since the 30 of them were frantically trying to stay together in the crowd of thousands other tourists.  
Neither of their teachers brought up the rear, Mrs Seo because she was the only one who actually knew the way around Rome and Mr Seo because he was simply too energetic to want to stay behind the dallying girls at the very back.

Every time they passed a bakery, supermarket or fruit stand Donghyuck complained.  
When they turned up half an hour late to breakfast, thanks to the younger not letting Taeil escape his cuddles in bed and lulling him back to sleep, they were greeted by an unimpressed glare from Mrs Seo and an empty buffet.  
The morning flew by in a suffocatingly hot breeze and even usually optimistic Taeil had trouble paying attention to the explanations of the many monuments that Mrs Seo was dragging them to.   
His stomach was empty, his head burning and to top it off, _Donghyuck was unhappy._ So giving a damn about gladiators fighting for their life in the Colosseum was a little difficult.

Stepping into the cold supermarket felt like entering heaven. In the drink aisle Taeil grabbed two extra bottles of water, since Donghyuck would surely forget that he might need some H2O to not die a dry death under the Italian sun.

_Nope. Not on my watch._

He stormed up to Donghyuck. “You will not“, he ripped bags of chips and gummy bears out of his dongsaeng’s arms and shoved them aside into a random shelf next to them, “eat this trash!”  
Mark and Jongho quietly hid their own _trash_ and followed Taeil, who was dragging Donghyuck into the fruit aisle by his ear.

With one hand on his hip, another one pointing at the fruit baskets and a stern glance he commanded, “I’ll allow you to eat pizza twice a day if you want but here in fucking Italy you need to try the fruits! Why would you eat chips if those peaches and apricots are the sweetest and ripest you’ll ever eat in your whole life?!”

“I don’t think Moon Taeil swears.”

“He’s being very serious”, Mark whispered back to Jongho.

Here between the ruins above the city they had escaped the majority of the other tourists.   
With every step they took towards the top of the Palatin, the yellow grass underneath their shoes crackled. The girls had all already opened their umbrellas and fans to keep their appearance from slipping away with sweat.

Donghyuck didn’t complain anymore, neither about the heat nor about the fact that Taeil had insisted on not holding hands because they were both too sweaty.   
He was happily munching on his second peach when he bumped Taeil’s hip with his own with a grin.  
“It’s so sweet how much you care about me”

Mark laughed behind them. “Yeah, he treats you like his son. So _romantic.”_

Taeil hid his confusion. What was so special about it? Of course he cared for his younger friend, he couldn’t let him miss out on eating fruits here in the country where they tasted the most delicious!  
Of course he held his hand when he didn’t want his dongsaeng to get lost amongst the tourists!

And nonsense, he didn’t treat Donghyuck like his son, he saw his best friend more as the younger brother he didn't have.

Thirteen-year-old Taeil didn’t have any friends, even though he was friendly and polite to everyone no one seemed to care about him or match his personality. Puberty was taking _years_ , he felt ugly and his lack of confidence didn’t help.  
School wasn’t something he enjoyed, he would have much rather spent all the time playing the piano and reading at home but choir was something that he looked forward to every week.  
The music teacher took him seriously and appreciated his voice and talent. But even there among all those children, with whom he had his passion for singing in common, he felt alone.  
Until _he_ joined the choir.  
At his first rehearsal that bouncing ball of sunshine, glowing with charisma, had chosen the spot next to Taeil and had bumped Taeil’s hip with his own as a greeting.

The hurricane that would turn his life upside down introduced himself with a wonky smile.  
“I’m Donghyuck and you look nice.”  
“Thank you”, he was in shock and awe. “Taeil.”  
The snotty-nosed boy furrowed his brows. “No, I’m Donghyuck!”  
“ _I_ am Taeil, nice to meet you.” He awkwardly offered his hand. Back then he didn’t know that the handshake with this small and sticky hand would change his life, it seemed to have sealed a pact.  
A pact that would bind their lives together.   
From that moment on Taeil had a friend.

“Hyuckie, the girls are whispering about you.” Loud Italian filled the small ice cream parlor that they were taking a break in. When Donghyuck turned his head to look at them they hid behind their fans. They were in the same grade as him but he didn’t know them personally. He frowned and uneasily nuzzled closer into his hyung’s side.  
“Why?”  
“Because you’re attractive,” Taeil chuckled. Watching Donghyuck’s face light up felt like winning the lottery.   
His wide eyes looked down on him amazedly. “You think so?”

 _Any person who wasn’t blind would think so._

Donghyuck’s brown hair and dark golden skin weren’t the only things that caused him to stand out and turn heads everywhere he went - the spirit of his eyes charmed everyone that got caught in their light.  
His lips, always curled with the hint of a smile, could read out microwave instructions and would still entertain everybody, he had a way of folding his words like origami frogs that jumped around the listeners and fascinated them.  
Even if he wasn’t the little and round boy from the past anymore, spending the summer surfing and working out with Jongho and Mark in California had done wonders to his body, he had never outgrown the childish mischief that still sparkled in his eyes.

“Strawberry.” 

“What?” Taeil squeezed his confused dongsaeng’s blushing cheeks.

“Your cheeks are red - I’m choosing strawberry flavor.”

Like Taeil had predicted, Donghyuck didn’t only eat pizza for lunch but also dinner. The whole group was eating at a restaurant together after their long and exhausting first day of the trip.

Due to his father being an ancient history professor at university Donghyuck already knew most of the monuments and the stories that Mrs Seo told about them and more than about Romans Taeil cared about mythology, which would be the focus of their time in Greece.   
Nevertheless, it was awesome to feel like a typical tourist and spend all the time that was usually rare during the school year with his best friend.

“Jongho, why don’t you try some pizza or pasta? It’s way better than back home.” Donghyuck was fighting a stubborn string of cheese stretching from his pizza.

“Do you ever eat something not healthy and rich in protein?” Taeil dared to ask, he hardly ever spoke to Jongho directly.

Jongho proudly patted his biceps. “Do you think this machine runs on fries and ice cream?”

Donghyuck saved him from being ashamed of his own ice cream, the second one of the day, by widely opening his mouth and demanding a spoonful, “Dongsaeng-aah!”  
Taeil quickly scooped up some chocolate and raspberry and fed him.  
Mark whispered into his pasta, “Gross.”  
No one could tell if he meant Donhyuck eating pizza diavolo with ice cream or Taeil feeding him with his spoon.

As soon as Taeil set down his empty glass on the table, Donghyuck grabbed the water carafe and refilled it. Jongho groaned.  
“What? Can’t I pour my boss a drink?”  
“Why do you keep calling him boss anyway?”  
“Because as the choir head boy he’s our boss!”  
“As long as he doesn’t call him daddy.“  
Taeil, Donghyuck, Jongho and Mr Seo, from the table next to them, turned to Mark in shock.  
“What?!”

It was a quarter past nine when they finally returned to their hotel room, sweaty, gross and really tired. After weeks of lazy holidays none of them had been prepared for twelve hours of sightseeing.

When they had settled down, showered and gotten ready for bed Mr Seo turned up at their door at around ten with his usual broad and fatherly smile.  
“Just checkin’ if everything’s alright and if everyone is where they are supposed to be for the night, no girls in boys’ rooms, you know.” He winked.   
“Breakfast is at half past seven and we leave at ten past eight because we need to line up early for St Peter’s. And oh, you need to turn off the air con or you’ll get sick.”  
Donghyuck whined, “But it’s _so, so hot!”   
_Mr Seo failed to look stern. “No use, Mr Donghyuck. I don’t want thirty kids complaining about a sore throat and cold.”  
Taeil immediately reached for the remote and turned it off.  
“Goodnight, boys.”  
“Goodnight, Mr Seo”, they echoed.  
As soon as he closed the door behind him Donghyuck grinned. “Johnny’s such a cool dude.”  
Taeil gasped at the informality and boxed his shoulder.

It really was hot, the city wasn’t cooling down even long after the sun had set. They realized that sleeping in only their boxers was the only way to find any sleep in the sauna that was their room.  
Walking around three-quarters naked would have been incredibly awkward with anyone else but he knew that Donghyuck wouldn't judge him for his body. His lack of motivation for doing sports showed in the softness of his stomach, hips and thighs - the only muscles in his arms that he worked out were his fingers by playing the piano and turning pages.  
Taeil himself didn't mind, he didn't care about attracting anyone with his body but he knew that he looked petite and rounder than other guys his age - it kind of scared him how strong Jongho was, the boy was a year younger than him but could probably smash his skull if he wanted to.

  
The bed sheet, a single big one, was as thin as a tissue but Donghyuck still insisted on covering with it, because of the monsters.  
After turning off the lights the room was still lit by the city outside the window, shadows dancing across the grey walls.

Mr Seo proudly showing them the evidence on his sports watch that they had walked sixteen kilometers today had made the exhaustion in their bodies even more noticeable. Thank God for that soft bed.

Donghyuck was lying on his side of the bed in the dark, facing him when he suddenly stretched out his arm.  
“What are you doing?” Taeil asked, neither particularly confused nor surprised since he was used to his odd actions, when Donghyuck started petting his bare stomach.  
“Your organs have worked hard all day and kept you alive, they deserve this.”  
Taeil chuckled, the younger truly didn’t have a filter for neither his mouth nor his actions.  
His special friend that never thought twice before saying or doing anything that might seem odd to others.   
He put an arm around his shoulders and squeezed it. “That’s very thoughtful of you, thanks.”

Despite their long friendship they had never slept in the same bed before, not even during their rare sleepovers, but Taeil could have guessed from how clingy his dongsaeng was during the day that he also wouldn’t let him go during the night.   
Even so he flinched when Donghyuck’s hand landed on his hip, just above the waistband of his boxers.   


“Sorry.” He sounded like apologizing for his hand being glued to Taeil’s skin and that he couldn’t do anything about it because he didn’t make an actual move to remove it.

Strange, Lee Donghyuck never apologized for his actions - unless they caused something incredibly terrible, like him dislocating Taeil’s shoulder that one time he thought Taekwondo was cool or stepping on the bug Jongho was supposed to observe for biology.   
He was always so sure of himself and even if his doings weren’t thought through he usually didn’t take them back.

Taeil could feel the cells of his body slamming on the emergency button that was his heart - _Abort Mission!_ They were tired and ready for sleep, they didn’t need those stupid chemical reactions right now! Those dumb side effects of Hyuck’s actions that confused him so much lately.

“It’s okay.” The cells protested, yelling at him to move out of his dongsaeng’s comfortable embrace to get some sleep.

Instead he allowed Donghyuck to pull him closer.  
He wished he could feel Donghyuck’s heart through his chest that was pressed against his own back, nothing was between them.  
Was Hyuckie’s heart beating as fast as his own?  
How could he hold him like this so casually and more than half naked, as if it was the most normal thing to do between best friends? Wasn’t this a bit too much?

“Goodnight, Hyung”, Donghyuck whispered against the back of his neck.  
A shudder shook his body and his cheeks grew even hotter. Nothing separated Donghyuck’s body from feeling his goosebumps. The room was way too hot for allowing him to blame them on being cold. He screwed his eyes shut and willed the goosebumps to go away.

What nonsense! Hyuckie just liked physical contact and if it helped him fall asleep he could cuddle Taeil all he wanted.

“Goodnight, Hyuckie.” Goodnight to all of his excited body cells as well that should calm the frick down.

This night wasn’t going to be so bad. Hearing and feeling every single one of your best friend’s breath against your skin was great friendship bonding time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wowie - it's been a week in isolation ! it's so weird and time flies by way too quickly for me, after i do my school stuff there's somehow never much time left for doing things i actually enjoy ㅠㅠ  
> but i'm still having a good time and hope you are too <3  
> feel free to leave a comment telling me what you like or don't like about this story, it helps me a lot :)


	4. IV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sunflower - Rex Orange County
> 
> Sunflowers still grow at night  
> You know you need to get yourself to sleep  
> And dream a dream of you and I  
> There's no need to keep an open eye  
> I promise I'm the one for you  
> Just let me hold you in these arms tonight  
> I'm lucky to be me and you can see it in my face

Donghyuck added spooning him onto his “List Of Things I Love About Taeil”.  
Underneath his fingers he could feel life pulsating through the body he adored so much. Taeil's hips were so soft, completely different to when he cuddled his friends, since Mark was a bony string bean and Jongho was made out of steel.  
Not that he had ever shared a bed with Mark, the other would probably rather spend the night in an occupied coffin than with him. Even though he said he accepted Donghyuck, he always physically stayed away from him as far as possible. Whenever he felt lonely or upset though, Jongho granted him endless sleepovers where he could hold onto him like an anchor and get over his worries.  
While Donghyuck appreciated that, snuggling with Jongho felt like hugging a refrigerator.

Completely different to Taeil in his embrace right now.

* * *

He got up from the bed with a loud yawn and audible stretch and snuck his arms around Taeil’s waist from behind him as the older was applying sunscreen to his face in front of the mirror. Who did that first thing in the morning before even getting dressed?  
He looked at their reflection in the mirror, the contrast of his tanned hands against Taeil’s pale stomach was stark.   
“Did you ever go outside during the holidays?” The crook of Taeil’s neck seemed like the perfect place to get some more sleep.  
“All I did was study, honey. That’s how you’re going to spend _your_ next summer.”  
He groaned and shot Taeil an annoyed glance in the mirror where they held eye contact a little longer than necessary.  
Their bodies looked so good together like this, opposites that were drawn to each other like magnets: dark against pale, wiry and slender versus soft and pliant.

“How often do people tell you how hot you are?”

Taeil dipped his finger in the blob of sunscreen on his palm and booped Donghyuck’s nose.  
“No one has ever told me that, Hyuckie.”  
His laughter at Donghyuck’s scandalized expression, topped off by his white nose, was pressed out of his lungs as Donghyuck tightened his hug.  
“You are!” His head was spinning and his heart trying not to crumble apart at the unbelieving look in Taeil’s eyes.  
How could he not know that? Wasn’t he aware of being the cutest and most lovable creature ever formed by Prometheus? If the other gods ever caught sight of him and heard his heavenly voice he’d be snatched straight up the Olymp. Scratch that, they were probably already jealous of Donghyuck for holding such a treasure in his arms.  
“I will make you believe that you are lovely”, he promised their reflection, still not loosening his hug - he wanted to squeeze any negativity out of him and replace it with the warmth that Taeil generated in his heart, since he had more than enough of it.

Avoiding eye contact was impossible while standing in front of a mirror together so Taeil wiggled out of his hug.   
“You’re so nice to me”, he stuttered while gathering a towel and clothes. He disappeared into the bathroom with red ears.

Donghyuck didn’t understand how they were late again.   
"Enjoy your breakfast.” Mrs Seo reprovingly pointed at the empty trays and bread baskets.

Setting out so early had paid off. At half past eight in the morning there were hardly any tourists and only a short queue in front of Saint Peter’s Basilica.  
Helios had also not quite woken up and was still too sleepy to plague the humans with his heat.

They didn’t have much brain capacity left after the overwhelming dimensions of Saint Peter’s. As if craning their necks to see the ornated ceiling while at the same time paying attention to Mrs Seo wasn’t difficult enough, they now had to do it for two more hours. Taking a shortcut through the Vatican Museum felt like a sin that the popes who had collected all the artworks would certainly not forgive but it was lunchtime and even their teachers were in a hurry to eat, so they only stopped at the most important works.

Laocoon and his sons were battling the serpents for their life in front of them.   
“He begged the Trojans to burn the big wooden horse, that the Greeks had gifted them before pretending to sail off, to make sure it’s not a trick and to not bring it into the city. That’s why Athena interfered and sent sea-serpents to kill Laocoon and his two sons, she had sided with the Greeks and helped them attack Troja, because she was pissed off at Troy’s prince Paris, who hadn’t chosen her as “the fairest goddess” - that is another story for another day.  
I gotta tell you, I relate to her very much, I didn’t invite the “friends” that didn’t vote for me for Miss Korea to Jisung's baby shower either.”

Mrs Seo could have told them the juiciest insider gossip from her model days and the type one students, as Donghyuck called the cool kids that weren’t interested in history, would still not listen. All they did was flirt with the opposite sex and brag. Was that so important to them? Was that their reason for joining the history club and having their parents pay for this expensive trip? All of them were aware of how prestigious their school was - who else spends a two-week-long school trip across the globe in luxury hotels? - and most of them had nothing better to do than showing off their parent’s wealth.  
Money was never a topic in their friendship, both of their fathers had worked hard to ensure them a life in comfort and to be able to support them and their talents to the fullest and it wasn't something that they boasted about.  
The type two students that actually cared about history and mythology, themselves and a few other kids according to Donghyuck, had trouble paying attention because of the impolite and distracting chatter.

He knew the Trojan war by heart after endless bedtime stories from his father but Taeil was listening attentively, looking precious as always.  
His head whipped around when he noticed Donghyuck taking a picture of him.  
“What are you doing?”, he whispered, not wanting to disturb Mrs Seo’s monologue.  
“Taking pictures of art.” Taeil’s shoulders shook with silent giggles when he turned away from Donghyuck’s satisfied grin.  
He didn’t let him escape and slung an arm around his waist - knight Donghyck was on a mission. Determined to make Taeil realize how amiable he was.  
Taeil’s ear burned up when he whispered his secret into it.  
 _“I’m planning on stealing the moon, the most beautiful piece of art in the world.”_

They were lining up in front of the Pantheon when Donghyuck suddenly whipped out an egg out of nowhere.

“Oh, an egg. Sweet.” Mark squinted at the egg in the bright sunlight.  
“Where’d you get your egg from?”, asked Jongho.  
“It was the only thing left at the breakfast buffet so I took it because I didn’t want it to feel bad.”  
“Is it - “  
“Yeah it is, and I don’t know how to open it.”  
They looked around themselves but found no hard surface in the sea of tourists that they were swimming in right now, the ground wasn’t an option since it was absolutely gross and dirty.  
Jongho offered with a proud smile, “I could break it with my hands?”  
“No thanks, Jongho. You’d kill it.”  
Underneath the beams of Helios, who was fully awake and burning down on them now and the boredom of queuing, finding an egg-cracking solution was incredibly important and concerned all four of them.   
Five. Taeil’s strange classmate Sicheng suddenly joined the mission with a, “Try your forehead, it’s hard enough.”  
Being surprised at the Chinese mystery speaking for the first time wasn’t possible right now  
Taeil quickly dismissed those first, accent heavy words that should have been treasured as holy.  
“No wait, don’t do that. I have another idea, give it to me.”  
He took his phone out of his fanny pack and swiftly banged the boiled egg against the screen.

Collective jaw dropping.

The shell had cracked. _So had Taeil’s phone screen._

Like a white lightning bolt against the dark night sky, the crack tore the glass in half.

Taeil stared off in the distance (into a large group of white grandmas), trying to stay calm and collected.  
Poetic, the martyr that had sacrificed his phone screen for _an egg and_ _a special kind of friendship.  
_ “It must have already been slightly damaged before.” The emotions in his whisper were unidentifiable, even to Donghyuck.  
He busied himself with rummaging around his backpack.  
With a dangerously calm murmur he opened his bottle of hand sanitizer, “Please just clean your hands before eating it.”

The awkward silence was underlined by Mr Seo teaching Jisung and Chenle how to flip a bottle, squatting down in the queue in front of them, and the harsh stench of hand sanitizer.  
“Thank you, Taeil hyung. For breaking… my egg for me.”   
Mark and Jongho quickly, out of desperation, struck up a conversation with an elderly Korean couple that happened to stand next to them whereas Sicheng had, of course, disappeared into thin air again - at this point Donghyuck wasn’t sure if the Chinese guy was even real.  
“I'll pay for the repair when we get home, I feel horrible.” With a pout and a look that hopefully conveyed all of the guilt he felt in every cell right now he nudged his hyung’s shoulder.  
Taeil patted his hair, already trying his best to smile again.

“Don’t worry, it’s my fault and responsibility. I shouldn’t have done it. And it still works, thank God,” Taeil's voice sounded almost apologetic. How could _he_ be sorry?  
Donghyuck protested, “But it’s my egg!”  
Having regained his old spirits, Taeil flicked his forehead with a giggle.  
“Don’t feel so responsible, you didn’t lay it! Please just eat it already.”  
It tasted of shame, he would never be able to eat a hard boiled egg again without thinking of Taeil’s disappointed and surprised expression at the cracking noise.

He stuttered, “Sorry for always causing you such situations. A normal friend wouldn’t make you break your phone because of an -“  
“I wouldn’t have it any other way," Taeil muttered softly, squinting up at him against the bright beams of Helios.  
His brain did the thing again, the “How Can A Person Be This Perfect” thing and his body acted on its own. His arms embraced Taeil in a tight hug and he kissed his cheek with a wet smack. What did he do to deserve such a patient and forgiving friend?

Donghyuck sat up in bed with a frustrated whine and took a deep breath.  
“JONGHO?” Taeil was startled out of his almost-nap by the sudden scream.  
“NO!” Mark’s yell was muffled by the wall.  
Unfazed by the answer he went again, “DOES HE HAVE ANY OF THOSE CHIPS LEFT?”  
Taeil shot him an unimpressed glare. “Stop it, Mr and Mrs Seo are gonna get complaints from the hotel because of you!”  
Right. Donghyuck didn’t want that.  
 _But he wanted Jongho’s chips.  
_ “I DON’T KNOW, HE’S TAKING A SHIT RIGHT NOW!”

The bed shook with Taeil’s laughter when Donghyuck dropped back onto it with a disappointed huff.  
“C’mon, if you fall asleep right now, breakfast will come faster”, he sounded like a kindergarten teacher - it didn’t help that Donghyuck was flinging his limbs around while whining for food. He nimbly climbed on top of Taeil.  
“ _But hyuuung”,_ he boxed his chest in frustration, “I’m hungry _now!”  
_ Taeil poked his belly from underneath him with a smile.   
“I’ve got some nuts and granola bars, if you want some,” Taeil offered.

A familiar giddiness settled in his stomach. _Oh, how good mischief felt.  
_ “But I want something unhealthy - really, really unhealthy.” He pretended to think hard and furrowed his brows before hitting his hyung’s shoulder in a mock realization.  
“Like your lips!”, he gasped.  
For the nth time that day Taeil’s cheeks turned cherry red and his hands shot up to cover his face.  
He groaned into his palms, “Oh my god, Lee Donghyuck.”  
If Flustering Moon Taeil were a field of study, he’d proudly own a PhD.  
He grabbed Taeil’s wrists and peeled them off his face.  
“What? They’re so unhealthy, they would kill me! I’d die from a heart attack if you kissed me,” he smirked.  
Refusing to look at him the older screwed his eyes shut.  
“Then I’ll make sure to never ever kiss you, I don’t want to murder my best friend.” The fake strictness in Taeil's eyes didn't cover up the crack in his voice.  
That had not been Donghyuck’s intention. Silly hyung.  
He leaned closer, playing with the other’s collar as he whispered, “What if I’m feeling really suicidal right now? What if I want you to-“

The door flung open with bang and a cranky Jongho entered. As soon as he saw them on the bed, in the position they were in, he covered his eyes and blindly flung a bag of chips at Donghyuck.

“My eyes have been scarred for life. Lock your fucking door!”, he screeched.

Donghyuck cackled and quickly grabbed the chips. "Watch your language."

"Watch your virginity!", Jongho hissed, turned around to leave but bumped right into the broad chest of a very alarmed looking Mr Seo, who had arrived for the daily goodnight check.

"What?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i want to return to school before the summer holidays so badly, returning after them would mean a whole six months without school and would suck so hard.  
> anyways, i hope ur all doing a-okay and as always, feel free to leave a comment telling me what you like or don't like about this story <3
> 
> \+ free Oreo milk shakes for those who recognized the conversation about the egg :)))
> 
> ++ I'm already planning another hyuckil fic, it's called Oh My Darling Quarantine hehehe


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